Bridge hand dealing system

ABSTRACT

A bridge system including a sealed book of reproduced newspaper bridge columns; punched master cards chosen at random for successive play each containing dealing identification for one complete four-hand deal corresponding to one of the bridge column reported hands, an indication of any vulnerability among the original players, and page cross reference to the corresponding bridge column; playing cards symmetrically face code-marked along side margins for registration successively in superimposed position on a master card; a dealing unit for holding one master card and the deck face down with a mirror under one side margin for viewing code-marked dealing instruction for the lowermost playing card through the punched apertures of the master card; the dealing unit including an escapement slit for one card at a time dealt from the bottom of the deck to the hand indicated by the master card; the master card having alternative punched aperture positions for playing card code marks whereby the viewing of one, or the other, or both, or neither of the alternative aperture marks will indicate to which of the four individual hands the card should be dealt; the corresponding book page being unsealed for comparison after play is completed.

United States Patent 1191 Forster 1 BRIDGE HAND DEALING SYSTEM [76]Inventor: Lloyd M. Forster, 1624 Lockridge Road Bloomfield Hills, Mich.48013 [22] Filed: Feb. 18, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 116,329

Related US. Application Data [63} Continuation-impart of Ser. No.746,117, July'19,

1968, abandoned.

Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Attorney-Farley, Forster & Farley [5 7ABSTRACT A bridge system including a sealed book of reproduced newspaperbridge columns; punched master cards chosen at random for successiveplay each containing dealing identification for one complete four-handdeal corresponding to one of the bridge column reported hands, anindication of any vulnerability among the original players, and pagecross reference to the corresponding bridge column; playing cardssymmetrically face code-marked along side margins for registrationsuccessively in superimposed position on a master card; a dealing unitfor holding one master card and the deck face down with a mirror underone side margin for viewing code-marked dealing instruction for thelowermost playing card through the punched apertures of the master card;the dealing unit including an escapement' slit for one card at a timedealt from the bottom of the deck to the hand indicated by the mastercard; the master card having alternative punched aperture positions forplaying card code marks whereby the viewing of' one, or the other, orboth, or neither of the alternative aperture marks will indicate towhich of the four individual hands the card should be dealt; thecorresponding book page being unsealed for comparison after play iscompleted.

22 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures July 3,1973

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\\ AIIIII PATENTEU JUL 3 I973 SHEU'HJFII oo oo o 0000 0000 g O0 O0 O00000 FIG-l3 A TTORNEVS BRIDGE HAND DEALING SYSTEM This application is acontinuation-impart of my copending application, Ser. No. 746,117, filedJuly 19, I968, abandoned by the filing of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has long been recognized among allclasses of bridge players that some bridge hands are more interestingthan others and that bridge is more enjoyable when interesting hands areencountered. Accordingly, numerous attempts have been made to providesystems for dealing previously played, interesting hands. There arenumerous prior art disclosures of mechanical dealing mechanisms fordealing predetermined hands none of which has proved practical orcommercially feasible. Somewhat simpler manual systems have also beenproposed including at least one which has been commercially introducedwith limited success wherein instructions for dealing a limited numberof predetermined hands are printed on the backs of playing cards in agame where playing instructions call for revised bidding in accordancewith the authors published recommendations for proper bidding beforeplaying each hand. Duplicate bridge played with predetermined handsinvolves hand sorting in advance of play.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present bridge system provides for playinginteresting newspaper" hands with the opportunity thereafter forcomparing the original bidding and playing of the experts as reported inthe newspaper columns. The system employs face coded playing cards, handidenti fying punched master cards, a manual dealing unit, and a sealedbooklet having reproduced newspaper column descriptions of handscorresponding to the master cards.

A master card is placed under the deck of face coded playing cards inthe dealing unit which has a mirror under one edge for viewing undersidemargin code marks of the lowermost card through punched holes in themaster card indicating the hand to which the playing card should bedealt. As each playing card is dealt from the bottom through anescapement slit in the dealing unit hand identification for the nextcard appears.

A code line on each side margin of each playing card is symmetricallylocated in one of 52 distinctive positions. The master card has twocolumns of punched holes extending under one side margin of the playingcards. When a mark appears in the column nearest the dealer he deals tohimself. When in the column nearest to his partner he deals to hispartner. When in both columns he deals to his left. When no mark appearsin either column he deals to his right.

Each master card has 13 punches in the nearest column identifying thedealer's hand; 13 differently spaced punches in the farthest columnidentifying his partner's hand; 13 further differently spaced punches inboth columns identifying the left hand; and 13 unpunched positionscorresponding to the right hand. After one or two hands are dealt thedealing pattern becomes automatic and almost as fast as a conventionaldeal. A large number of master cards corresponding to differentnewspaper column hands are supplied as part of the original set alongwith the sealed booklet having the corresponding newspaper bridge columnexperts comments on bidding and play reproduced which may be unsealedand referred to for comparison after the hand is played.

In a preferred modification of the system newly disclosed in the presentcontinuation-impart application as illustrated in FIGS. 7l4, the use ofstandard data recording punch card hole spacing has been adapted withopening of tolerance requirements for coordinated registration withplaying card code marks through the use of 26 longitudinal and fourlateral hole positions instead of 52 longitudinal and two lateral.

The system contemplates subscription or other purchase of an unlimitednumber of master cards and booklets available from the vast reservoir ofnewspaper hands published over many years.

The foregoing as well as other objects of the present bridge system willbest be understood from the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment with reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the various components of the bridgesystem;

FIG. 2 is a face view of several playing cards indicating code markings;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dealing unit show ing a single cardpassing through the escapement slit;

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the dealing unit taken'fromanother angle and illustrating the mirror system of reading through themaster card;

FIG. 5 is a plan view 'of a single master card per se;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the modified dealing unit;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of such dealing unit;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9--9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a face view of two playing cards employing the modified codemarking;

FIG. 1 l is an enlarged single master card strip for use in the dealingunit to identify one complete hand;

FIG. 12 is a reverse view (end over end) of the master card stripillustrated in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a face view of a complete standard punch card adapted toidentify three hands in three individual strips separable for use 1 inthe dealing unit (with punched holes omitted); and

FIG. 14 is a reverse view (end over end) of the punch card shown in FIG.13.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 code marks 10 such as applied to the ace ofdiamonds are located symmetrically on each side margin extending in fromthe edge approximately of an inch within a normally blank area of theface border of a conventional deck of bridge cards. Code marks areprovided in 52 distinct positions on the respective 52 cards comprisingthe deck within approximately a2 inch length along the side border withapproximately a 0.040 inch relative spacing or pitch in line location.The code lines are preferably solid black on a white background and asheavy as possible short of overlapping which could lead to misreadingunder the various tolerances hereinafter described. In assigning codemark locations to the various card suits and values they aredeliberately mixed on either a random or overlapping sequence basis soas to render impossible any specific or general evaluation frommemorization and observation of mark location during dealing. In thisconnection the close 0.040 inch spacing is such as to render adjacentmark locations indistinguishable from general observations unaided bygauging means, which is an important factor in avoiding any suspicion ofdealer knowledge of card values gained through observations of code marklocations.

As best shown in FIG. 5, the master card 11 is preferably punched withrectangular holes extending to the full width of the spacing or pitch sothat two adjacent punches will leave no intermediate web, therebyassuring maximum visibility of any playing card code line inregistration therewith when viewed in the mirror 12 located in arecessed pocket of the dealing unit 13 under the punched area of amaster card positioned therein. The master cards are also preferablypunched in two columns 14-15 on either side of a central dividing line16 so as to provide four alternatives with respect to any particularcard code line: (I) a single punch on the dealers side 14 indicating thecard to be dealt to the dealer; (2) a single punch on the partners sideindicating the card to be dealt to the partner; (3) punches on bothsides 14 and 15 indicating the card to be dealt to the left or the westposition (as shown by the indicia 17 on the top left rail of the dealingunit); and (4) no punch in either column indicating the card to be dealtto the right or east (as indicated on the right rail at 18).

Printed on the upper face of the master card is the number of the hand(82 as shown in FIG. 4) and indication of vulnerability of originalplayers by the letters W-E or N-S or neither or both (as shown in FIG.4).

In dealing the deck of cards is placed face down over a master card inthe dealing unit and cards are dealt from the bottom of the deck throughan escapement slit 19 at the lower end of a retaining gate 20 extendingover the bottom of the holder 21; finger access to the bottom card beingprovided by an opening 22 in the bottom. Preferably, the bottom of thedealing unit incorporates a recessed pocket having a depth equal to thethickness of the master card to permit the deck to lie flush on top ofsame with the lowermost card aligned with the escapement slit whichpreferably has a depth of approximately 1 h times card thickness tofacilitate card removal without hang-up or jamming of a second card. Themaster card and dealing unit preferably are provided with interengagingtabs 23 and recesses 24 positively retaining the master card againstlateral movement with the bottom playing card during dealing. Endwiselocation of the master card is effected through registration of endsurfaces 26 with side rails 27; the length of the master card apart fromthe projecting tabs 23 being exactly the same as that of the playingcards. A close free fit between the side rails and lowermost playingcard is essential to avoid misalignment of master card and playing cardwhich could result in a false reading. In this connection a draft ortaper in the side walls is desirable to facilitate insertion of the deckwhile providing a close free fit for the bottom card.

In practice, it has been found that a code mark line width in the orderof 0.020 to 0.030 inch with a pitch spacing of 0.040 inch and a punchslot opening of 0.040 X 0.100 inch for each column provides a highlyvisible combination while providing sufficient allowance for clearanceand tolerance variations without any possibility of misreading a markfrom an adjacent space. The dealing unit is preferably held directly infront of the dealer in a level position with the mirror reflection infull view of both eyes. In this position the code marks indicating thedealerss and partners positions are logical and the code of double marksfor west and none for east is readily remembered and automatic afterdealing a few hands at which time the speed of dealing is almost as fastas normal sequence dealing.

The master cards 11 are preferably selected at random from a book suchas shown in FIG. 1 or cut for deal simulating the conventional cut ofthe playing cards, preserving the element of chance as to the hand to bedealt and the deal rotates from hand to hand in a clockwise manner as inconventional bridge. Each hand is bid and played under assumption ofvulnerability corresponding to original players with scoring as induplicate bridge. In producing the hand from a given newspaper columnthe dealers hand becomes south in the master card regardless of whetherthe dealer is north, south, east or west as reported in the newspapercolumn where the south hand is normally presented as the winning bidplayerss hand regardless of who may be dealer. In this respect,vulnerability will likewise be restated with respect to the master carddealers hand as south in order to preserve the same conditions of play.It is of course obvious that in comparing play with that reported in therepublished bridge column comparison would be made with reference to theactual hands rather than their designated positions of north, south,east and west which may or may not correspond depending on whether thedealer is south or otherwise in the reported hand. The book 30containing reproduced newspaper hands preferably is sealed at its frontedges 31 with an adhesive binder except for the top edge available forpage reference corresponding to that of the master card. When biddingand play of a particular hand is completed it is intended that theplayers may then, if they desire, refer to the corresponding book page,slit open that page only and make any desired comparisons. It isintended that once a hand has been played the master card will bedisposed of thereby avoiding any possibility of preview on the part ofthe host or other players. In this connection it will also be understoodthat additional master hands and books may be made available bysubscription or otherwise and used with the original deck of cards anddealing unit so that the element of fresh hands may always be retained.

From the foregoing description it will be clear that the present bridgesystem provides a simple, inexpensive, convenient manual system forreproducing and redealing the interesting hands which have been reportedfor years in newspaper columns with the provision of an opportunity forcomparison with the original bidding and play of the experts, ifdesired. The system retains all of the elements of natural play with thesingle exception that consistently interesting hands are provided. Thedeal passes successively from player to player. The element of chance asto who gets what hand is preserved by cutting for the next master cardto be used. Secrecy is preserved and previews are rendered impracticalby furnishing large numbers of hands with a sealed book describing eachoriginal newspaper hand .to be unsealed for comparison only afterbidding and play are completed. The system contemplates a subscriptionopportunity for an unlimited number of additional hands for which mastercards and sealed books are furnished and which can be used with theoriginal coded playing cards and dealing unit fu rnished with theinitial kit.

This system has been developed to avoid any possibility of memorizing orobserving suit values of cards or any preview information regarding thehand by the dealer or other players. Code markings have been employedfor the playing cards which are completely compatible with standarddecks employing only side margins on the face which are otherwise blankon all of the cards of a conventional deck. Face rather than backmarkings are employed to avoid any possible implication of reading thecard from the back by any opponent during dealing or play. 52 distinctcode marked locations are employed with a spacing so close as to beindistinguishable from an unaided visual observation of location and aremixed with regard to suit and card values so as to render anyinformation as to either, even of a general nature, unavailable fromobservation of code mark location during the dealing process. Only threehands are identified through punch marks in the master card so thatthere is no way of observing memorized code marks with reference toterminal punches in the master card (there being the possibility of upto 13 unpunched positions at each extremity of the master card).

Referring to FIGS. 7-14 the modified dealing unit, master card and codedplaying card arrangement as illustrated, makes use of standard IBMSystem 3 data recording punch cards, FIGS. 13 and 14, adapted formultiple hand punching and separation into individual master card stripsshown double size in FIGS. 11 and 12, each containing punchedinformation necessary to identify one four-hand deal.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a standard 4 X 26 hole pattern is employedfor hand identification. The holes punched in this standard datarecording punch card are circular, spaced on a 0.0871 inch pitch in eachdirection, with a diameter equal to approximately one-half the pitch.The four hole positions a, b, c, d, extending progressively inwardlyfrom the margin for each of the 26 longitudinal positions identify twodifferent playing cards, one of which corresponds to the a and c holepositions on either side of the central dividing line 120 and the otherof which corresponds to the b and d hole positions; likewise on eitherside of the dividing line 120.

A master card strip placed in the pocket of the dealing unit illustratedin FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 over the mirror 121 is supported on a ledge 122 withthe left end of the strip as seen in FIG. 11 registering against the endwall 123 of the dealing unit and the right end confined by the ledgewall 124 shown in FIG. 8. The outer or lower edge of the strip as seenin FIG. 11 registers against the back wall surfaces 125 and theremaining inner edge against the shoulder 126 provided on the ledge 122with recesses 127 accommodating tab projections 128 which may remain onthe strip when separated for use. The pocket in the dealing unit isdimensioned to fit closely the four edges of a master card strip inorder to minimize any clearance for shifting of the master card relativeto the dealing unit.

With the master card strip positioned over the mirror 121, a deck ofplaying cards code marked as shown in FIG. is inserted face down so thatone side edge of the lowermost playing card is superimposed over themaster card strip. The dealing unit is provided with tapering walls tofacilitate insertion of the deck but dimensioned at the lowermost cardlevel to closely fit with a minimum free clearance assuring acoordination of playing card position relative to the master card strip.Each playing card is code marked with two side margin spaced code markssymmetrically arranged on either side, adapted to align in superimposedposition with either a or 0 position punched holes 1300 in the mastercard strip as in the case of the 4 of diamonds or with the b and dpositions 130b as in the case of the 4 of hearts. The two code marks oneach playing card occupy a distinctive position in one of the 26longitudinal spaces and in one of the two alternate pairs of the fourlateral spaces to provide a total of 52 distinctive and unduplicateddouble mark positions corresponding to one of the 52 available pairs ofpunch card hole locations in the 4 X 26 hole pattern allocated to cardidentification.

The size of the code marks on the playing cards is preferablysubstantially equal to the hole pitch spacing of the holes in the mastercard which is approximately twice the diameter of an individual punchedhole in order to provide a maximum tolerance in the relative location ofsuperimposed punched holes and code marks without loss of full markappearance in the mir-' ror viewing of the code mark through the punchedholes. Thus, with a pitch and hole spacing of 0.0871 inches a relativeshifting between master card and playing card from a nominal exactlycentered position of approximately 0.022 of an inch in any direction canbe accommodated without loss of hole mark registration for thecorresponding punched hole and without any code mark registration foradjacent punched holes which could provide any chance for misreading.

The advantages of the modified. system illustrated in FIGS. 7-14accordingly lie not only in the utilization of standard data processinghole spacing which permits the direct use of standard data processingcards in making master cards as will be subsequently explained,including available high volume rapid reproduction equipment forduplicating punch cards, but also in substantially doubling themanufacturing tolerances compatible with accurate reading relative tothe dealing unit, card size, printing inaccuracies and master card ascompared to the previously disclosed embodiment wherein 52 distinctlongitudinal positions are allocated to approximately the same spacealong the margin on the playing card.

The same general dealing system as in the first embodiment is employedwith a black dot appearing oh the out side only of the dividing linesignifying a card to be dealt to the dealer; a black dot on the in sideto the dealer's partner; a black dot on both sides to the dealers left;and no apparent mark to the dealer's right.

With reference to FIGS. 11-14, in adapting the standard IBM "System 3"datarecording punch card to the fabrication of master cards, the holepattern available is in a rectilinear pattern of 32 X 18 as shown inFIG. 13 with a pitch of 0.0871 in inches in each direction. In thepreferred embodiment, three complete fourhand deals are identified inthree equal size strips which may be separated for individual use in thedealing unit and then discarded (or saved for repeated use if desired).

In processing standard blank System 3" IBM data recording cards, thesize of which is represented in FIGS. 13 and 14 including the phantomline 134 at the bottom, the first step is to print the face of allsupply cards with common page numerals as indicated in FIG. 13 inlocations which maybe selectively punched to indicate a specific pagenumber such as page 41 in FIG. 11. (Thus, any page from I to 9 may beindicated by a single punch in the right hand group of numbers and from10 to 99 by a combination of two punches in left and right hand numbergroups.) On the reverse side shown on FIG. 14 only three dividing lines200, b and c are printed. There is space at the top of the blank IBMcards 131 which of course may be used for printing any specificinstructions or otherwise and only that printing specifically requiredfor dealing purposes has been shown.

The next step in processing is to key punch one complete four-hand dealin the lower left 4 X 26 hole location space for three individual mastercards 132a, l32b and 1320. Such punched holes, omitted in FIGS. 13 and14, will involve a pattern spacing similar to enlarged FIGS. 11 and 12but of course on a normal rather than double scale in size. Accordingly,whatever specific hand identifying pattern is punched will lie withinthe area indicated in phantom in each of the three strips shown in FIG.13 which will overlie and be confined within the area of the mirror 121as seen in FIG. 8.

In addition to hand identifying and page number punching, vulnerabilityif any is also indicated by punches 133; two horizontal or verticalpunches indicating respectively opponents or dealers team vulnerabilityand three punches as shown in FIG. 11 indicating both teams arevulnerable. After all punching is completed for the three hands, thecomposite master card is employed for duplicating purposes, employingstandard IBM duplicating equipment, in quantities sufficient to meetdistribution requirements. Following production punching a suitablylarge number of different three-hand punch cards are collated for salesdistribution. The cards are next processed to trimming and slittingoperations wherein the lowermost phantom portion 134 is completelytrimmed off and partial slitting along the three lines 135 is performedleaving only three tab connections 128 to facilitate player removal ofindividual strips 132a, b and c.

It is contemplated that the triple hand master cards will be packagedand distributed intact and for normal play will constitute a randomdistribution of interesting newspaper hands. In order to furthersimulate normal random play, it is contemplated that as the dealprogresses clockwise from player to player each individual hand to beplayed will be determined by an opponent of the dealer cutting a stackof master cards to any random level from which the lowermost strip ofthe top card will be removed for insertion in the dealing unit. In orderto avoid suspicions or implications of previous play, particularly wheregambling is involved, it is contemplated that a fresh master card stripwill be separated from triple hand supply card at the start of each dealand disposed of thereafter, since the available supply of newspaperhands is so great, and the production costs of the master cards soeconomical as to make possible a constant supply of fresh hands atnominal cost.

For special purposes such as duplicate bridge or instruction the mastercard strips may of course be reused at the players option. Nevertheless,it will be understood that an important factor in gaining generalacceptance for the system lies in the provision of every possible meansto avoid any suspicion of pre-view knowledge of the hand to be played.Thus, by using fresh master card strip each time, providing a sealedbooklet with reprints of newspaper columns opened only after bidding andplay are completed, and by employing a face coding system of cardidentification which avoids any possibility of reading code marks, aswhen printed on or punched through the back, acceptance of the systemfor general play and other purposes may be greatly enhanced.

With reference to the dealing unit illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, itwill be understood that the deck played face down, overlying a mastercard inserted in the recess pocket, will be supported on the top surfaceof the ledge 126 and the two corner supports 139a adjacent each of theescapement slits 139 establishing a level for the lowermost card alongthe line 138. With the deck in normal unbowed condition, the centersupport 137 is tapered along its upper surface as shown in FIG. 9 toprovide a slight clearance at the end in the order of 1/16 inch againstwhich a deck may be bowed by thumb pressure to assure lowermost cardcontact with the comer supports 139a facilitating bottom card dealingthrough the escapement slits without interference or hang-up. Since thecards need not be shuffled in use of this system, they are not exposedto distortion from the bowing incurred in shuffling and the use ofescapement slits 139 in the order of 0.015 inch or 50 percent greaterthan card thickness has been found suitable to release the lowermostcard freely while retaining the remainder of the deck in position.Slight practice results in accurate dealing almost as fast asconventional dealing.

The present invention is believed to incorporate novel patentablesubject matter in the various sub combination elements of the system,including the master card and booklet which may be furnished assubscription or supplemental supply items, as well as the dealing unitand coded playing cards furnished as part of an original kit. Thus,while all elements cooperate in a single combination system, claimsdirected to novel and patentable subject matter of the sub combinationelements are included along with complete combination system claims.

While two embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed anddescribed here in detail, it will be understood that numerousmodifications might be resorted to without departing from the scope ofthe invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A bridge system comprising a deck of visually coded playing cards, abook of numerous, interesting, previously-played bridge hands includingdescription of bidding and play by experts, corresponding master cardseach identifying one complete four-hand deal with reference to said deckof coded playing cards, a manual dealing unit adapted to hold one ofsaid master cards and said deck of coded playing cards for manualdealing with visual code observation without revealing playing card suitor value, and a cross reference between each master card and thecorresponding page of said book permitting comparison after bidding andplay have been completed, said book of previously played bridge handscomprising a reproduction of newspaper bridge columns, said book havingits pages sealed so that the pages corresponding to the master cardcross references may be selectively unsealed and read one hand at atime.

2. In a bridge system as set forth in claim 1, said sealed pagescomprising aplurality of pages secured together at one edge, meansadhering other normally free edges to each other except for a limitedextent whereby the page number indicia may be viewed, and whereby theadhering means may be selectively broken at a selected page whichcorresponds to the cross reference indicated on the master card for aselected hand.

3. A bridge system comprising a deck of visually coded playing cards,numerous master cards each identifying one complete four-hand deal withreference to said deck of coded playing cards, and a manual dealing unitadapted to hold one of said master cards and said deck of coded playingcards for manual visual dealing in accordance with observation of codemarks through said master card without revealing playing card suit orvalue, said master card having punched apertures including twodistinguishable alternative aperture locations so located relative tothe code marks on the playing cards when both the master card andplaying cards are held in the dealing unit that the playing card codemarks are alternatively visible through one, or the other, or both, orneither of the apertures of the master card to identify to which of thefour hands a playing card should be dealt.

4. A bridge system comprising a deck of visually facecoded playingcards, said face code identification being located symmetrically alongopposite side margins of each playing card, numerous master cards eachidenti' fying one complete four-hand deal with reference to said deck ofcoded playing cards, and a manual dealing unit adapted to hold one ofsaid master cards and said deck of coded playing cards for manual visualdealing in accordance with observation of code marks through said mastercard without revealing playing card suit or value, said dealing unitbeing adapted to hold a master card with punched apertures registeringwith successive code marks on the side margins of successive lowermostcards of a superimposed deck, including a mirror under one side marginof the deck and master card for viewing code mark identification of thesuccessive lowermost playing cards through the punched apertures in themaster card.

5. In a bridge system as set forth in claim 4, the bottom of saiddealing unit being recessed to accommodate a single master card ofsubstantially narrower width than the deck and provided with an openingto accommodate finger engagement of the lowermost playing card indealing from the bottom of the deck.

6. In a bridge system employing a master card and playing cards as inclaim 3, said deck of playing cards comprising 52 different playingcards having an identification code mark lines occupying 52 distinctpositions spaced longitudinally along the side of the playing cards forselective viewing through the punch apertures of said master card.

7. In a bridge system as set forth in claim 6, said punch apertures insaid master card having a spacing and size corresponding to saididentification lines and such that adjacent punches to permit viewing ofadjacent code line positions eliminates any intermediate web betweensaid adjacent punch apertures.

8. A bridge system comprising;

a deck of coded playing cards, numerous master cards identifyingnumerous different complete four hand deals with reference to said deckof coded playing cards, and a dealing unit adapted to coordinate saidmaster and coded playing cards in effecting the dealing of respectiveidentified hands, said master cards including selectively punched holepatterns produced with standard data recording key punch card holespacing, having a pitch in the order of ll to 12 spaces per inch, andsaid coded playing cards having a code system located in positions nototherwise occupied with interfering playing card markings coordinatedwith said standard hole spacing adapted to accommodate a selectivesystem of hand distribution in accordance with said master card handidentification.

9. A bridge system comprising;

a deck of coded playing cards, numerous master cards identifyingnumerous different complete four-hand deals with reference to said deckof coded playing cards, and a dealing unit adapted to coordinate saidmaster and coded playing cards in effecting the dealing of respectiveidentified hands, said master cards including selectively punched holepatterns produced with standard data recording key punch card holespacing, having a pitch in the order of 11 to 12 spaces per inch, saidcoded playing cards having a code system located in posi' tions nototherwise occupied with interfering playing card markings coordinatedwith said standard hole spacing adapted to accommodate a selectivesystem of hand distribution in accordance with said master card handidentification and a page numbered booklet reporting an analysis ofbidding and play for hands identified in said master cards, each mastercard including page number identification for cross reference to thecorresponding analysis in said booklet.

10. In combination for use in a bridge system as set forth in claim 8 abooklet of published reports analyzing the bidding and play with respectto said hands, said master cards including page number identificationfor cross reference to said booklet as well as punched handidentification for dealing purposes.

11. In a bridge system for identifying numerous different completefour-hand deals with reference to a deck of coded playing cards having acode system located in positions not otherwise occupied with interferingplaying card markings and a dealing unit for holding said deck, theimprovement comprising numerous punched master cards identifyingnumerous different complete four-hand deals adapted for use in saiddealing unit with said deck of coded playing cards superimposed incoordinated juxtaposition, said master cards including selectivelypunched hole patterns produced with standard data recording key punchcard hole spacing having a pitch in the order of ll to l2 spaces perinch.

12. The improvement as set forth in claim 11 wherein a fractionalportion of a single selectively punched standard data recording card isadapted to identify each complete four-hand deal.

13. The improvement as set forth in claim 12 wherein said hole patternfor each four-hand deal is selectively punched from a rectangular 4 X 26potential hole pattern.

14. The improvement as set forth in claim 12 wherein a plurality ofcomplete four-hand deals are identified in a single selectively punchedstandard data recording card, each fractional portion identifying asingle fourhand deal being separable for use in the dealing unit.

15. The improvement as set forth in claim 11 further characterized byhole spacing having a pitch of approximately 0.087 inch.

16. The improvement as set forth in claim 11 wherein said four-handdeals correspond to previously played bridge hands reported in a pagenumbered reference, and wherein said master cards include punchedidentification of page numbers and of vulnerability, if any, withrespect to the hands as previously played and reported.

17. The improvement as set forth in claim 11 wherein said punch cardholes are round and have a diameter equal to approximately one-half ofthe hole spacing pitch.

18. In a bridge system for holding a deck of coded playing cards incoordinated juxtaposition with any of numerous punched master cardsidentifying different complete four-hand deals, the improvementcomprising a dealing unit having a master card recess for holding asingle punched master card which is a fraction of the size of theplaying card, said dealing unit being adapted to hold said deck ofplaying cards face down with one side margin of the lowermost cardsuperimposed over said master card, and a mirror in said dealing unitspaced substantially below said master card for viewing hand identifyingcode marks of the lowermost playing card through the punched holes ofsaid master card.

19. The improvement as set forth in claim 18 wherein the extension ofsaid mirror and walls of said dealing unit substantially confine themirror view to hand identifying code marks within a rectangular 4 X 26potential hole pattern.

20. In a bridge system for code identification of playing cards in adealing unit in coordinated juxtaposition with any of numerous punchedmaster cards identifying different complete four-hand deals, theimprovement comprising a deck of 52 different playing cards eachidentified by face code marks spaced along each of the side marginslongitudinally in 26 distinct positions and laterally in two distinctpositions for registration with different of the 26 X 4 potentialpunched holes for each playing card. 21. The improvement as set forth inclaim 20 wherein each side margin of each playing card is symmetricallymarked in a distinct relative position for registration with two of thepotential 104 punched master card holes.

22. The improvement as set forth in claim 21 wherein a referencecenterline on each master card extends longitudinally of said 26 X 4hole pattern and each of said two holes is on a different side thereof.

1. A bridge system comprising a deck of visually coded playing cards, abook of numerous, interesting, previously-played bridge hands includingdescription of bidding and play by experts, corresponding master cardseach identifying one complete fourhand deal with reference to said deckof coded playing cards, a manual dealing unit adapted to hold one ofsaid master cards and said deck of coded playing cards for manualdealing with visual code observation without revealing playing card suitor value, and a cross reference between each master card and thecorresponding page of said book permitting comparison after bidding andplay have been completed, said book of previously played bridge handscomprising a reproduction of newspaper bridge columns, said book havingits pages sealed so that the pages corresponding to the master cardcross references may be selectively unsealed and read one hand at atime.
 2. In a bridge system as set forth in claim 1, said sealed pagescomprising a plurality of pages secured together at one edge, meansadhering other normally free edges to each other except for a limitedextent whereby the page number indicia may be viewed, and whereby theadhering means may be selectively broken at a selected page whichcorresponds to the cross reference indicated on the master card for aselected hand.
 3. A bridge system comprising a deck of visually codedplaying cards, numerous master cards each identifying one completefour-hand deal with reference to said deck of coded playing cards, and amanual dealing unit adapted to hold one of said master cards and saiddeck of coded playing cards for manual visual dealing in accordance withobservation of code marks through said master card without revealingplaying card suit or value, said master card having punched aperturesincluding two distinguishable alternative aperture locations so locatedrelative to the code marks on the playing cards when both the mastercard and playing cards are held in the dealing unit that the playingcard code marks are alternatively visible through one, or the other, orboth, or neither of the apertures of the master card to identify towhich of the four hands a playing card should be dealt.
 4. A bridgesystem comprising a deck of visually face-coded playing cards, said facecode identification being located symmetrically along opposite sidemargins of each playing card, numerous master cards each identifying onecomplete four-hand deal with reference to said deck of coded playingcards, and a manual dealing unit adapted to hold one of said mastercards and said deck of coded playing cards for manual visual dealing inaccordance with observation of code marks through said master cardwithout revealing playing card suit or value, said dealing unit beingadapted to hold a master card with punched apertures registering withsuccessive code marks on the side margins of successive lowermost cardsof a superimposed deck, including a mirror under one side margin of thedeck and master card for viewing code mark identification of thesuccessive lowermost playing cards through the punched apertures in themaster card.
 5. In a bridge system as set forth in claim 4, the bottomof said dealing unit being recesSed to accommodate a single master cardof substantially narrower width than the deck and provided with anopening to accommodate finger engagement of the lowermost playing cardin dealing from the bottom of the deck.
 6. In a bridge system employinga master card and playing cards as in claim 3, said deck of playingcards comprising 52 different playing cards having an identificationcode mark lines occupying 52 distinct positions spaced longitudinallyalong the side of the playing cards for selective viewing through thepunch apertures of said master card.
 7. In a bridge system as set forthin claim 6, said punch apertures in said master card having a spacingand size corresponding to said identification lines and such thatadjacent punches to permit viewing of adjacent code line positionseliminates any intermediate web between said adjacent punch apertures.8. A bridge system comprising; a deck of coded playing cards, numerousmaster cards identifying numerous different complete four hand dealswith reference to said deck of coded playing cards, and a dealing unitadapted to coordinate said master and coded playing cards in effectingthe dealing of respective identified hands, said master cards includingselectively punched hole patterns produced with standard data recordingkey punch card hole spacing, having a pitch in the order of 11 to 12spaces per inch, and said coded playing cards having a code systemlocated in positions not otherwise occupied with interfering playingcard markings coordinated with said standard hole spacing adapted toaccommodate a selective system of hand distribution in accordance withsaid master card hand identification.
 9. A bridge system comprising; adeck of coded playing cards, numerous master cards identifying numerousdifferent complete four-hand deals with reference to said deck of codedplaying cards, and a dealing unit adapted to coordinate said master andcoded playing cards in effecting the dealing of respective identifiedhands, said master cards including selectively punched hole patternsproduced with standard data recording key punch card hole spacing,having a pitch in the order of 11 to 12 spaces per inch, said codedplaying cards having a code system located in positions not otherwiseoccupied with interfering playing card markings coordinated with saidstandard hole spacing adapted to accommodate a selective system of handdistribution in accordance with said master card hand identification anda page numbered booklet reporting an analysis of bidding and play forhands identified in said master cards, each master card including pagenumber identification for cross reference to the corresponding analysisin said booklet.
 10. In combination for use in a bridge system as setforth in claim 8 a booklet of published reports analyzing the biddingand play with respect to said hands, said master cards including pagenumber identification for cross reference to said booklet as well aspunched hand identification for dealing purposes.
 11. In a bridge systemfor identifying numerous different complete four-hand deals withreference to a deck of coded playing cards having a code system locatedin positions not otherwise occupied with interfering playing cardmarkings and a dealing unit for holding said deck, the improvementcomprising numerous punched master cards identifying numerous differentcomplete four-hand deals adapted for use in said dealing unit with saiddeck of coded playing cards superimposed in coordinated juxtaposition,said master cards including selectively punched hole patterns producedwith standard data recording key punch card hole spacing having a pitchin the order of 11 to 12 spaces per inch.
 12. The improvement as setforth in claim 11 wherein a fractional portion of a single selectivelypunched standard data recording card is adapted to identify eachcomplete four-hand deal.
 13. The improvement as set forth in claim 12wherein sAid hole pattern for each four-hand deal is selectively punchedfrom a rectangular 4 X 26 potential hole pattern.
 14. The improvement asset forth in claim 12 wherein a plurality of complete four-hand dealsare identified in a single selectively punched standard data recordingcard, each fractional portion identifying a single four-hand deal beingseparable for use in the dealing unit.
 15. The improvement as set forthin claim 11 further characterized by hole spacing having a pitch ofapproximately 0.087 inch.
 16. The improvement as set forth in claim 11wherein said four-hand deals correspond to previously played bridgehands reported in a page numbered reference, and wherein said mastercards include punched identification of page numbers and ofvulnerability, if any, with respect to the hands as previously playedand reported.
 17. The improvement as set forth in claim 11 wherein saidpunch card holes are round and have a diameter equal to approximatelyone-half of the hole spacing pitch.
 18. In a bridge system for holding adeck of coded playing cards in coordinated juxtaposition with any ofnumerous punched master cards identifying different complete four-handdeals, the improvement comprising a dealing unit having a master cardrecess for holding a single punched master card which is a fraction ofthe size of the playing card, said dealing unit being adapted to holdsaid deck of playing cards face down with one side margin of thelowermost card superimposed over said master card, and a mirror in saiddealing unit spaced substantially below said master card for viewinghand identifying code marks of the lowermost playing card through thepunched holes of said master card.
 19. The improvement as set forth inclaim 18 wherein the extension of said mirror and walls of said dealingunit substantially confine the mirror view to hand identifying codemarks within a rectangular 4 X 26 potential hole pattern.
 20. In abridge system for code identification of playing cards in a dealing unitin coordinated juxtaposition with any of numerous punched master cardsidentifying different complete four-hand deals, the improvementcomprising a deck of 52 different playing cards each identified by facecode marks spaced along each of the side margins longitudinally in 26distinct positions and laterally in two distinct positions forregistration with different of the 26 X 4 potential punched holes foreach playing card.
 21. The improvement as set forth in claim 20 whereineach side margin of each playing card is symmetrically marked in adistinct relative position for registration with two of the potential104 punched master card holes.
 22. The improvement as set forth in claim21 wherein a reference centerline on each master card extendslongitudinally of said 26 X 4 hole pattern and each of said two holes ison a different side thereof.